CSN Stores Contest Finds Most-Recession-Weary Living Room in America After Six-Month Search

BOSTON, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the No. 3 U.S. online retailer of home furnishings and housewares has announced the three winners of CSN Stores' Living Room Search and Rescue. This coast-to-coast search for the most recession-weary living room in the country attracted over 6,000 entrants, with all participants submitting earnest explanations of why their living rooms desperately need resuscitation.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100129/NE46408 )

CSN launched the contest in August with the help of Celebrity Designer Angelo Surmelis and, together, they set out to bring one flat-lining living room back to life through a $5,000 Grand Prize Rescue Package, featuring living room furniture from Surmelis' new line, angelo:HOME, lighting from Quoizel, new Couristan rugs, accents from SEI, Hitchcock Butterfield Company mirrors, and more.

The winner, Crystal Kerr from Coraopolis, Penn., was chosen from a group of 60 finalists. Her entry, submitted by her mother, detailed Kerr's struggles with a "60-year-old money-trap of a home," including her efforts to replace everything from the windows to the heat. On top of having to "work three jobs," Kerr was unable to continue with school in March of '09 when her father became ill and subsequently passed away. The entry concluded with Kerr's mother pleading for a "living room makeover that reflects the warmth" of her daughter's "loving heart."

"We saw thousands of truly heart-wrenching entries and were blown away by the effect that the recession had on the state of living rooms in America," says Surmelis. "But Crystal's submission and the photo of her living room really cried out for a rescue."

Though one grand prize winner was selected, as a way to help every entrant get started on their own room rescue, CSN Stores offered each participant a 10 percent off coupon to be used for its one million plus home essentials. The Search and Rescue also awarded a second and third prize, including $1,000 worth of furniture from angelo:HOME and a $200 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores.

The second place living room, belonging to Tara Dyke and her new husband, Jason, from Pullman, Wash., doubles as a "home away from home" for Washington State University students as part of a local church initiative. The Dykes were also the winners of the Search and Rescue Facebook campaign, which allowed members of the CSN Stores Fan Page to vote for their favorite entrant. This campaign resulted in over 1,500 votes and generated over 1,100 new fans.

The third and final winners of the Search and Rescue were the Miners of Leavenworth, Kansas. Susan and her husband, Mark, are the adoptive parents of four children, all under four, and the foster parents of a two-month-old boy. Their living room, the "hub of their home, which is cluttered with toys and old furniture," will receive a $200 boost from CSN.

Fortunately for contest-savvy e-shoppers, the completion of the Search and Rescue signals the beginning of other contests, as well. Right now, ToysAndGamesOnline.com, CSN's toy e-boutique, is hosting the Imagination Nation Contest, the Search for the Country's Most Creative Kid. Consumers can enter that contest by going to www.csnstores.com/imagination.

In early February, CSN Stores' Big Bad Bedroom Break-Up, featuring Celebrity Designer Michael Payne, will launch on www.CSNStores.com. The bedroom contest offers a $10,000 makeover as the grand prize.

For more information on the Search & Rescue or to set up an interview with the winners, Surmelis, or a member of the Rescue Crew, please contact Will Flanagan at [email protected] or [email protected].

About CSN:

CSN Stores LLC (www.csnstores.com) is comprised of 250+ online e-boutiques offering unparalleled selection, great customer service and significant savings.  Based in Boston, Mass., CSN Stores sells more than 1 million products and serves customers in the U.S., the U.K. and Germany.  Select CSN Stores include: AllModern.com, Cookware.com, Strollers.com, CSNBaby.com, Luggage.com, CookwareByCSN.co.uk and many, many more.  CSN was selected as part of the Hot 100 Best Online Retailers in 2009 by Internet Retailer.

SOURCE CSN Stores LLC